Hide the Spinach - Chocolate Berry Smoothie!

Whenever I get on the roll of working out daily, I get into this mode of not wanting to eat breakfast. But breakfast is the most important meal of the day! My solution has been smoothies, every morning! I was making the same smoothie every morning....and its been 2 weeks and I needed a new smoothie recipe. I searched all over pinterest and constantly saw GREEN Smoothie recipes, ya know, the ones with spinach in them....to me spinach tastes like dirt, I like it cooked, but fresh...I just don't see it going into a smoothie. All the blogs claim you can't taste it...I have many friends who would beg to differ.

Spinach is a super food, so I figured - anything is better with chocolate right? and a frozen element should also help hide the spinach flavor...and I was right. This is my new favorite smoothie! I was so excited by how great it came out that I took the picture below with my simple cell phone, and ran to blog this!! Hope you enjoy it, My 5 and 2 year old boys certainly did as well!

Hide the Spinach - Chocolate Berry Smoothie

1 cup of fat free milk (feel free to substitute with almond/soy/coconut milk etc)

1 cup FROZEN blueberries

2 handfuls rinsed fresh baby spinach

5 strawberries

2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1-2 Tbsp Stevia in the raw extract (Not watching calories? Sweeten with sugar/agave/honey etc)

Blend Smooth!

225 calories for the whole thing! It was about a glass and a half for me.

**I'll admit, I could NOT taste the spinach the entire consumption process. However, I let the last sip sit in the glass a few minutes and went back to finish it off and I did catch a taste bud glimpse of it. But considering that was the only moment and circumstance I tasted it....I'll take it! 

Easy Double Chocolate Scones

These are for the ultimate chocolate lover!

My scones are not the typical scones that are shaped and cut into wedges before baking them. Ive always felt that scone batter needs as little mixing as possible to keep it from being to tough later.

Double Chocolate Scones

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp of granulated sugar (Zulka brand was fantastic in this)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup Butter cut into pieces (salted or unsalted butter is fine)
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs

Preheat oven at 375

In mixer with paddle attachment stir all dry ingredients together SLOWLY.

Add in butter a few pieces at a time while mixing.

Let it mix till it looks like a course meal.

Add chocolate chips and let mix till evenly distributed.

Separate bowl: Combine Eggs and buttermilk -whisk together.

Add to dry ingredients while mixing slowly - only mix it just enough to distribute.

Drop by heaping spoonfuls which measures to about 1/3 of a cup of dough for each scone. Drop dough onto un-greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake for about 15 minutes, they will look puffy and the shine will be gone. They really don't rise too much.

DON'T over-bake! Dust powdered sugar over the scones for a nice finishing touch!

Don't hesitate to ask questions or comment!

Thanks, Enjoy!